Wood Road 11

Every Memorial Day weekend we go to "Wood Road 11". It's a random forest service road that we camp and fish at. All the members of the Berg family knows this secret location. I just made short movie about the fishing/salmon fly hatch. Enjoy.

Eli Turned ONE

For Eli's birthday I wanted to do it at this park in the middle of nowhere. I've always drove passed that park and visualized a awesome party with those whom I love. Volleyball nets, basketball hopes, so much grass, and a huge BBQ pit, and it's in the country to boot. Then I watched the weather reports. It started out OK, then just worse as the day got closer. The night before I called the church to see if we could reserve it just in case. Taken. SO the only option was my tiny, cute, but still very tiny, house. It was really crammed, but I think we all still had a good time. (But I still wish I could have used that park!)

This picture is sideways

Why is this picture sideways?

Sideways

Sideways

sideways

Getting ready to eat some CAKE

He just wanted to play with his tractor

It looks like poopie water, but its all chocolate

Where did time go? Is his whole life going to go by this quickly? What amazes me most is that Eli has grown and developed practically on his own. Yes, I feed him and played with him, but I never taught him how to crawl, or use his fingers delicately while picking up his food, and many other things. He surprises me everyday with a new ability.

I am a Hippie Mormon, Minus the Pot

My friend and I were talking to a lady who was hanging her laundry on a clothes line. My friend unhooked a cute tie-dyed cloth and started analyzing the cool pattern on it. Soon she asked the woman what the cloth item was for, she said, "Those are my reusable sanitary napkins". My friend quickly returned the pad to the clothes line.

I lived in Oregon for 18 months. It changed me in many ways. I LOVED the strangeness to the place. I remember leaving Eugene and crying because there was a man wearing a costume and "pray-dancing" on the sidewalk, I was going to miss that (It was common to see such things).

These people taught me so much. Somethings I chose not to adopt into my own life. For example, I like shaving my legs and armpits. I also like wearing a bra (is that too much information?). There are somethings that made a lasting impression on me.

The reason I was in Oregon was because I was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormon).  Some towns I was assigned to had a high Christian population, other towns, like Eugene, had very low Christian populations. Someone once told me that Eugene was 50% Atheist, 20% Buddhist, 10% Christian, and rest were Baha'i, and other religions, and a lot of personal/made up religions.

Many hours were spent knocking on peoples doors to try to find people to teach. In towns with high Christian populations we had a lot of doors slammed in our face and people yelling at us. In towns like Eugene people we nice and open. I remember after a long day knocking on doors a man opened his door and invited us in for tea. He gave us some hand warmers and some hot cocoa. He told us he didn't believe in God but that he wanted to make sure we were cared for. On the other hand I had Christians screaming at us, egging us, and being outright inhumane. Hatred is the only word I have. This was the main lesson I learned (with some exceptions of course): That the Atheists were more Christian than the Christians.

Most of the Atheists had a lot of hippieness too them. They were all about LOVE. What was Christ about? LOVE! After centuries of religious wars fought "in the name of Christ", people have lost sight of the entire point of Christs life. He taught us to love, not to hate.

So I've decided to take all the good lessons in life, no matter the source. Truth is truth no matter where it came from. I care for the Earth, I care for people, I care for everyone no matter their belief system. I love the Beetles song "All you Need is Love". It is very true.

I have come closer to Christ because of this new perspective. The more I read the Bible and the Book of Mormon the more I see love. Christians really went wrong somewhere a couple hundred years ago, because of mans ideas and traditions. I hope we can fix that, but it must start in our own individual hearts first.

Sarcasm

I was at BYU in Provo, UT. I had just graduated from high school and was having the best time of my life. I made friends quickly.

My roommate was a friend from back home. I loved this girl, respected her more than anything. One day we were walking on campus and we were joking around. I said a sarcastic remark to her, innocently joking around. I realized I had hurt her feelings. I tried to explain to her that in my family we were really sarcastic, and that I meant nothing by it. I told her she would soon get used to it, and realize I wasn't being serious. My hope was she would learn to joke around the same way and we would have a good time.

Her response surprised me. She looked at me and said "Dayna, maybe I'm not the one that needs to change". Then she walked away.

I was shocked by her remark. "Me? Change? Why?" I thought. It bothered me deeply. I searched inside myself. I researched sarcasm, and asked peoples opinions about it. Soon I came to the conclusion that I was  indeed the one that needed to change.

I still use sarcasm, but not like I used to. It was all I did back in the day. Sarcasm can be used without demeaning others, but I must still be careful and watch myself in all forms of humor. I have thought much about laughing at people. Speaking of the use of flippancy C.S. Lewis said: “It is a thousand miles from joy; it deadens, instead of sharpening, the intellect; and it excites no affection between those who practice it”  (Screwtape Letters). Speaking of sarcasm:

"A most damaging form of humor is sarcasm, or cutting, hostile, or contemptuous remarks. Such humor is usually based on inordinate pride…Though often meant to be harmless, sarcasm denotes insensitivity to the feelings of others, stemming either from thoughtlessness or maliciousness. Recall the perverted brand of humor of the soldiers who mocked our Savior by putting a crown of thorns on his head, clothing him in a purple robe, and saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (John 19:2–3.) It is interesting to note that in prophesying of his death, the Lord included the mental torture of mocking with the physical tortures of scourging and crucifixion. (Mark 10:34.) How does a “humorous” remark designed to degrade or hurt another person differ from this? Remember, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt. 25:40.)" ( https://www.lds.org/new-era/1974/08/a-serious-look-at-humor?lang=eng)

Laughter can be good. Like King Solomon said in Prov 17:22 "a merry heart doeth good like medicine". But I think laughter should never be used at the expense of another. This is something that I still need to work on.

Can I tell you another story?

I was in high school. My friends and I were at a church dinner and we were standing in line waiting to get our dinner. A stranger was standing in line behind us. He had the ugliest nose anyone had ever seen. It looked like there were warts covering the entire thing, and it was huge. My friends and I noticed it and couldn't help but snicker about it.

Years later a youth leader of mine told me one day that there was a man that decided he was going to start coming to church. He came to a church activity and was standing in line for dinner when some young girls started laughing at him because of his nose. He left and never came back. The leader told me "he only remembered one girl, she was wearing a black leather jacket. You are wearing that jacket."

I felt like crap. I still do.